mooli.life

Summer’s Swan Song

So we moved recently. Well, relatively recent. In May. At the height of the pandemic. The uprooting was especially difficult given the world that we found ourselves in. Organizing movers in the days when even a look could feel too much and breathing in another’s vicinity felt ominous. The poor movers, essential workers, handling the…

Cooking for the times: Two Peas and Beets

A can of chickpeas, another of black-eyed peas and a beet. These are the things that I jumped out at me when I opened the pantry today for lunch ideas. Seasoned and tossed with some herbs. Perfect. On a different note, I went to the grocery store to get some herbs today. On the way,…

Cooking for the times: Roasted Cauliflower

As more online grocery services now show a dwindling inventory of fresh produce and no delivery dates in the near future. While grocery stores are now likely unsafe, really one of the few places where people are still in such close proximity, some with no masks or gloves, use of kitchen ingredients is getting more…

Little Rainbows

I felt especially cooped up today. Went for a run in the morning. Paranoia has a way of creeping in till you are behaving in a way alien to yourself. The moment I stepped out and put on my headphones, I teared up. The world felt strange and ominous and so very loved and missed….

Swiss Chard and Garam Masala Butternut Squash

The farmer’s market this Sunday was bursting with seasonal greens and all sorts of delicious vegetables. I was late to get Nael from a sleepover so quickly picked some that caught my eye, ‘Orange Fantasia’ swiss chard (delicate, bright yellow/ orange stalks more tender than the red variety), bright fragrant turmeric root, freshest baby greens…

Finding Courage

I stood at the door frozen, unable to enter my empty apartment. As if by doing so, I would be trailing in dirt, defiling a sanctuary. Just 10 minutes ago, as I got off the bus into the midday madness of traffic across the street from home, I had received a callback for follow up…

Lemony Potatoes

As the weather warms and we head too slowly into summer, I have started an herb garden. Aside from the incredible fragrance and burst of green in the home, it makes me think of delicious and creative ways of using the aromatics. The blooming oregano on my windowsill is the inspiration for these most deliciously,…

Dry Pepper Curry

Mirchon Ka Salan My take on an old classic. Pepper curry is one of the dishes that evolved in the melting pot of Hyderabad Deccan under the princely Nizam dynasty of India. The cuisine is a unique blend of Turkish and Arabic foods of the Mughals with the local, southern Telugu and Marathi cuisines. It is a wide-ranging spread of finely…

Crisp Bitter Gourd

Crunchy Karela We are not born with a love of bitter. The taste for coffee, dark chocolate, bitter greens develops over time, if at all. Taste buds get seasoned and crave complex flavors. For most of us bitter emerges after sweet, savory and sour. The bold, beautiful bitter gourd falls squarely in this category and…

Perfect Eggs- boiled, fried and scrambled

My instagram is full of posts about eggs. Maybe it has something to do with the new year, a new start. Of coming back to basics with the most versatile food of all. Dress them up deliciously or elevate them by keeping it simple. Use them to make other ingredients shine or provide a side…

Persimmon-Tomato Chutney

Gorgeous, sweet persimmon. Juicy, tangy tomato. Perfect combo. A dollop will compliment almost anything. As a dipping sauce or slathered on your burger or accompanying a simple plate of daal and khichri. Ramp up the heat level to your preference. Ingredients:2 persimmons, chopped up4 tomatoes, deskinned and chopped4 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped3/4 cup…

Meat Croquettes

A delicious bonus of making broth at home is that you are left with a lot of roasted, melt-in-your-mouth meat. Nicely browned and moist, it is perfect for preparing mini meatballs for the kids or adults to enjoy alike. Ingredients: 3 cups or more of shredded meat 1 medium boiled potato 2-3 minced garlic cloves…